THRU BLACK HOLES 2

THRU BLACK HOLES 2 (AUG 1978)

20pp full-size fanzine
A Black Holes Production
Published bi-monthly by Michael Roden
Published August 1978
Print run: 100 copies
$1.00

Who else but MICHAEL RODEN would be able to include the great ROBERT BLOCH in their Letters section? This issue was printed on goldenrod paper and carries the standard TBH masthead.

cover Aliens Over Stonehenge

Nice drawing of a happy big-eyed alien.

page i Greetings (editorial comments) and Contents

MICHAEL RODEN discusses the reaction to the premier issue of TBH: “The only real complaint anyone seemed to have was that it was too short.”

pages 1-4 New Worlds

This section, which starts off with a MICHAEL RODEN logo, features three text pieces: The Worm (a truly inspired nature article by MR), Aliens of Known Space: Part 1. Kzinti (part one of a three-part series by MICHAEL A. BANKS), and The Stellar Population (a brief article about stars by MR). Illustrations by MR appear on pages 2 (untitled drawing of an alien space creature), 3 (untitled drawing of a spaceship), and 4 (diagram illustrating The Stellar Population)

pages 5-6 Spacecraft

Page 5 features three MICHAEL RODEN drawings and a photograph of the earth. Two of the drawings are actually details from a larger drawing that was included as an untitled print in the WORM SEA COLLECTION. Page 6 features two small TERRY JEEVES spaceships and some photographs of the moon taken during the 1965 Ranger Mission.

pages 7-8 Phenomena

This nonfiction section includes two MICHAEL RODEN articles (Could the Moon Have Once Been a Part of the Earth? and Giant Pyramid … Beneath Atlantic Depths!). Includes a wonderful drawing depicting the moon separating from the earth (page 7) and a nice drawing of a submarine pyramid (page 8).

page 9 Alien Carnival

Wonderful full-page drawing full of amazing and bizarre aliens.

page 10 Larry’s Mind

Wild full-page fantasy-psychedelic drawing by LEANARDO DE FRODO 1316.

pages 11-12 The Hexagonal Room

Weird fiction “from the strange dream diary of Professor I. Moot.” The accompanying illustration (page 12) was reprinted in CITY OF BONE COMIX (page 7).

page 13 Strands of the Future

A nice illustrated MR logo starts off the Electronic Musicians Review section. Included this issue are brief reviews of Space Art by DOMINIQUE PERRIER & ROGER RIZZILETTI, Crystal Presence by TIM BLAKE, and Katharsis by NIEMAN, as well as a quick survey of the albums released by the German space-music group CLUSTER.

page 14 Model Rocketry

Nonfiction by L. CARTER illustrated with a rocketship drawing by TERRY JEEVES.

pages 15-16 Letters

Responses to the first issue by RON NANCE, MELINDA ANN HOLLEY, MICHAEL KRAMER, THE BRADBURY ESTATE, ROBERT A. BLOCH (who writes: “I like the art work.”), MICHEALENE LLEWELLYN, TERRY JEEVES, and JEFF EVEN. There is also a spaceship drawing by TERRU JEEVES on page 16.

page 17 In the Future

Announcement of coming attractions … including a drawing entitled Halloween in Hell that was to have been “printed with Red Ink” (which sadly never happened).

page 17 untitled alien drawing by TERRY JEEVES and a quiz (answers on page 18).

page 18 Stamps From the Stars

Photographs of various outer-space themed postage stamps with a logo by MICHAEL RODEN.

The breadth of subject matter covered in this issue is nothing short of amazing. There is everything from a brilliantly imaginative look at predatory ants to a concise version of a 1940 theory of the origin of our moon. Highly recommended if you can find a copy.

Resource Notes:
Thanks to MR for supplying a copy of this rare fanzine.
Publication information per MR: letter to DLC dated 7/13/85.

History:
Page posted to the online MICHAEL RODEN CATALOG 9-7-03.